Ex-Plymouth cop gets a year in prison for attack on prisoner

A federal judge has sentenced former Plymouth Police Sgt. Shawn Coughlin to a year and a day in federal prison for attacking a defenseless prisoner and then lying to cover it up.

Rich Harbert rharbert@wickedlocal.com @richharbertOCM

BOSTON – A federal judge has sentenced former Plymouth Police Sgt. Shawn Coughlin to a year and a day in federal prison for attacking a defenseless prisoner and then lying to cover it up.

U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton also sentenced Coughlin to a year of supervised probation after his release.

A 20-year police veteran, Coughlin, 47, will be allowed to surrender himself at a federal correctional center in six weeks. Gorton said he would recommend Coughlin, a married father of three teenagers, be allowed to serve his sentence close to home – in either Massachusetts or New Hampshire.

A federal jury convicted Coughlin in February of violating a handcuffed prisoner’s civil rights against excessive force by kicking and punching him in a Plymouth police cell. He then allegedly falsified records to suggest the victim, an alleged repeat drunken driving offender, was the aggressor.

The 26-year-old West Plymouth man served 40 days in jail until a videotape of the incident surfaced.

Coughlin spoke to the judge prior to sentencing, telling Gorton he is “not the person you saw in 60 seconds of video.”

Though he denied the allegations from the witness stand at trial, Coughlin apologized to his victim, saying he never intended to cause him any pain. He said he also understands the pain he has caused his family, friends and fellow officers, especially the rookie who was forced to resign over the incident.

“As a father, I’ve tried to be a role model,” Coughlin said. “I’ve always tried to guide them to take responsibility. Yet, here I am today. Some things I can never take back.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Barclay said prosecutors were looking for two years with three more years of supervised release, saying Coughlin crossed the line and never looked back.

Defense attorney Thomas Drechsler asked for just six months of incarceration, noting Coughlin’s otherwise unblemished career, his support within the community, the victim’s relatively minor injuries and Coughlin’s personal suffering as a convicted felon. Drechsler said Coughlin would never be a threat to re-offend as he will never be able to work as a police officer again.

Gorton noted that 33 people wrote letters of recommendation in support of Coughlin and said he believes the former sergeant acted in the heat of passion in attacking the prisoner.

Gorton said the more sinister crime was to cover it up by drumming up false charges.

“It’s so often true, the cover-up is worse than the infraction,” Gorton said.

The judge said he was giving Coughlin leniency because he felt the attack was an aberration, not a true reflection of Coughlin. The judge said he was also impressed by the support group behind Coughlin, the victim’s relatively minor injuries and Coughlin’s already substantial suffering as a convicted felon.

“It’s a sad and tragic day, not only for you and your family but everyone involved in law enforcement,” Gorton said.

In addition to the prison term and supervised release, Coughlin was fined $7,500.

He has until Aug. 25 to surrender at a federal correctional facility. He has 14 days to appeal the sentence.

Drechsler later told reporters he thought the sentence was fair, but would confer with Coughlin on a possible appeal. Coughlin did not comment.